Vivian in Europe: Vivian Goes to Brussels

My friends in Norway wondered why I was going to Belgium because people generally don’t visit there. It is not a very popular tourist spot compared to all the other European countries. I had actually forgotten why I wanted to go other than it wasn’t too expensive getting there and that it was convenient to go from Amsterdam. Yesterday, however, I was reminded of why I ever decided to go in the first place. Two things: Belgian chocolate and Belgian waffles. Yes, my stomach led me to Belgium. The chocolate shops are amazing. Once you step inside, it is like you’re floating on Cloud Nine. And then you look at the prices and you fall back down to Earth… Unfortunately, due to the strict weight limitations of carry-on baggage for RyanAir, I was only able to buy 2 kilos of chocolate, 1 kilo of which I had to hide on my person so I wouldn’t get charged €40. Belgian waffles are amazing and I mean real Belgian waffles, which are very different from the so-called Belgian waffles found everywhere else in the world. I don’t know what the other differences are but I can surely taste it. Waffles were expensive as well, costing about €2 each. I spent more money on chocolate and waffles in one day than I did on food, transportation, etc. in 2.5 days in Amsterdam. Brussels is quite an expensive city, mainly because it is the capital of Europe, home to the EU. This means that Brussels is extremely diverse. I really cannot tell you what a Belgian person looks like. They all look so different. They’re not very good-looking either, especially compared to Norwegians. People here smoke way too much and they sure love their fries. On every block, you can find at least one French fries stand or shop. It is scary how much French fries they consume. While their fries are good, I don’t think they’re any better the fries we have in America and they charge at least €0.50 for sauce. You can’t even free ketchup in McDonalds. It’s absurd I tell you.

Brussels is not very pretty. There are a few really amazing places, such as the King’s Palace, the Grand Place, and the Atomium but overall, there is not much that is spectacular about the city. It is quite dirty and crowded. You would think that since it is the European capital, they would spend more money and put more effort into beautifying the city but no.

Overall, my impression of Brussels is that it has some nice, distinguishing qualities, but there are so many better places in Europe to visit. It is not a city I would visit again. I might visit Belgium to go to Brugge and/or Ghent but it is unlikely. Not to mention, there is a language barrier since most people speak French and/or Flemish and no English. Luckily, I had someone to help me translate. Otherwise, I would’ve been screwed. There is just nothing really special about this place other than Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate but I recommend just googling recipes for authentic Belgian waffles and spending some extra money to buy Godiva chocolate, which actually is not much cheaper here.